A New Future
by Valokiloren
Summary: One-shot: Slight AU divergence. My version of Kimimaro's first meeting with Orochimaru. No pairings. Possible chance of an actual fan-fiction resulting from this.


**A New Future**

_A/N: I wrote this recently for part of a writing contest, with a few set parameters. Funnily enough, I believe this shall be the only Naruto piece in the contest. I themed it upon the meeting of Kimimaro and Orochimaru in Naruto, the part when Kimimaro flashbacks to his past, in a slightly Alternate Universe style. If it wasn't for the fact the contest was a one-shot ruling and had a limit on words, this might have been longer. In the end, you may end up hating me for my piece, due to the fact that it either 1: slander-ises Kishimoto's work, or 2: it isn't AU enough for you. However, I did not wish to write something I would regret, so I have this to display to you. If I get enough positive reviews, and I still feel like posting it up, I may start working on a fan-fiction dedicated to Kimimaro, though any rating it shall get will mainly be due to violence rather than anything else._

_Disclaimer: Naruto and all characters and related topics are property of Kishimoto. I own nothing at this point in time._

Kimimaro looked at the picture before his eyes. It was serene. No firework-like sounds of the battlefield; no burning grass; no death… just the utter personification of life…

How he abhorred this scene before him. He hated fighting, but at least it in itself had made sense to him. The noise, similar to that of a rocketing firework spiralling upwards until it's explosion - _that_ he was familiar to. The visual effects of the wounded men, women and children accompanied by the flames and the looks of sorrow, Kimimaro could live with. Even the scent of the smoke and blood was something, if presented to him, he could handle.

This intoxicating silence, no sounds save for the breaths of the wind lulling gently against his ear. The faint chirp of a bird, often from distance, often in a small tune only it knew of. The slight noise of crickets, underneath the top layer of the meadow. Those were there, alone for only Kimimaro's ears to be heard by. The scent of meadows of fresh grass and flowers, the sweetness of the richness of these things. Along with that of certain animals, herbivore and carnivore, a number of hares, the odd fox here and there. These wafted up his nose until his brain could tell him nothing else. After having shut his eyes, he was met with images of country meadows next to pure farmland, with a small woodland behind the fields. Paths that twisted and turned into the distance. A cloudless sky, with the moonlight shining brightly into a small mist which held along the bottom of the vision, illuminating all and exposing everything to the boy. These things assaulted his brain via his eye sockets.

All these unnerved him; made him feel retched inside for missing out and destroying this wonderful paradise, but most of all… he despised these things, due to their taunting. The lack of growing up to these made him wish to destroy this "perfect" vision of nature, to taint & warp it until unrecognisable.

Kimimaro reached down, taking a small bone knife from his hand and wielded it perfectly, pressing the blade gently against a white chrysanthemum, the only one in the entire landscape of the area. He looked at it briefly, studying it's shape, design and beauty before slowly having words slipping out of his mouth, explaining, "You are like me… unique now, with a strange shape and design, as well as an ethereal beauty about you. However, you also are different to me, in that you are not tainted, but still pure… I hate you…" he ended, before raising his blade. Just as he was about to strike, he was interrupted by a creepy laugh, "Kukukukuku!" Kimimaro turned, only to see the man who would become his saviour, though he did not know it at the time.

The man stood at about one hundred eighty centimetres, and seemed fairly well built. He had, oddly enough, two snake-fang earrings, denoting something to do with serpents. He wore long jet-black hair which draped down his back elegantly, being straight and regal-like in appearance. This was a clear contrast to his skin, which looked marble white. Deathly pale from an uneducated point-of-view, but the way he held himself and the rest of his body denied this. He wore a pure-white kimono, the collar coloured red and dotted frequently with comma-like tomoe, while upon the back, a large green serpent was curled in upon itself, its head poking out of the top of it's coils.

"Excellent boy, simply excellent… to be able to wield such power without flinching, with such grace, such poise… why, my dear boy, you seem very lonely. I will take care of you – give you comfort and peace of mind. All you have to do is swear fealty to me, and I can make your dreams happen at will," the man smiled an evil-looking smirk at Kimimaro, before bartering with the young boy's lack of care, the young boy's family dreams. Kimimaro could not remember when he was without friends or family… he only remembered being his sire's weapon. Not a child at all.

Crawling upon his knees, Kimimaro made his way over to the mysterious man, before asking in a raspy tone, "What would you have me do to prove this to you, master?" This set the man off once more, his evil cackling becoming louder and louder, more and more malign than other things. The young boy didn't flinch.

"Come child, I will be your safe haven… I am Orochimaru, Serpent Sage… your new master, I daresay. And your own name, child?"

"Kimimaro."

"Well, my little Kimi-kun, for us to find somewhere for us both to retire, we must press on and set off. We should be outside this wretched vile country before the next sunrise, if we walk throughout the night." With this charmingly spat out, Orochimaru started walking towards the border, setting a brisk pace for Kimimaro to catch up to.

Kimimaro looked to the skies, wondering if Kami had saved him personally, or whether his new master was in actual fact his new guardian angel. After this second thought, a number of stars twinkled. It was still a beautiful night now – a clear starry sky. With this all said and done, Kimimaro quickly hurried after the Serpent Sage, leaving behind a number of bright flickering stars… in the shape of a serpent exiting and entering a skull. As if prophesised by Kami herself.


End file.
